Good morning. The Coalition Avenir Québec is celebrating a new leader while the federal Liberals are focused on today’s by-elections. More politics below, along with Hungary’s election and U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks. Let’s get to it.

The latest: In a Saturday speech to the Liberal party’s convention, Prime Minister Mark Carney laid down markers for his plans in the coming months – including indications of shifting into a new gear for a potential majority government. More specific details will follow in the spring economic update, expected within weeks. But first, the Liberals are focused on today’s by-elections.

Context: Last April, voters delivered Carney a minority mandate with 169 out of 343 seats. Three of those seats are now vacant and five Opposition MPs crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus. The party is widely expected to win two seats in the by-elections, which would bring their total in the House to 173 – a clear majority. The result in the Terrebonne by-election is less certain.

Meanwhile in Quebec: The Coalition Avenir Québec has chosen former minister Christine Fréchette to be its next leader, anointing her the province’s next premier, replacing François Legault. Fréchette is promising to breathe new life into a party with just months to go before a provincial election scheduled for October.

What’s next: After the by-elections wrap up today, winning a majority would reshape Carney’s government operations. With defections from other parties, the caucus could grow even further, with as many as eight more opposition MPs being courted to cross the floor, three Liberal sources told The Globe and Mail.

Opinion: The week we learned that anyone can come and anyone can go.

The latest: U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that the U.S. Navy would “immediately” begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after Iranian ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement or next diplomatic steps in sight. U.S. Central Command announced that it will blockade all Iranian ports beginning Monday at 10 a.m. ET.

Context: The face-to-face talks in Islamabad ended early Sunday and were the highest-level negotiations between the long-time rivals since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

What’s next: Neither delegation indicated what will happen after the ceasefire expires on April 22. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said his country will try to facilitate a new dialogue in the coming days.

Elsewhere: Bombing across the Middle East calmed over the past day except in Lebanon, where Israeli air strikes killed an infant girl during her father’s funeral, who was also killed by Israel last week.

Opinion: By deliberately targeting water, warring factions in the Persian Gulf have weaponized thirst.

The latest: So far, 2026 has already delivered five English-language Canadian films that have crossed the $300,000 mark at the domestic box office: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie ($1.32-million), the supernatural thriller Undertone ($1.1-million), the animated Charlie the Wonderdog ($710,000), the hockey drama Youngblood ($500,000) and the horror flick Whistle ($309,000).

What’s next: These five films are very different from one another, writes Barry Hertz, but look a little closer, and a few unifying threads emerge. Each new box-office breakthrough offers its own crucial set of lessons for the Canadian film industry to succeed. And just in time for National Canadian Film Day on April 15.